PERSPECTIVES

The Intersection of Communication and Technology; Optimizing Your Press Release for the Internet
by Tami Casey, April 2007

For the past 100 years, press releases have been the primary tool used to deliver corporate messages to journalists. Yet as the Internet brings change to business process, many online journalists have called for the death of the traditional press release. As I read through these calls for change, it occurs to me that many people are missing the point. It is the message itself that is most important, not how the message is packaged.

A well written press or news release is still the most effective way to reach most journalists. But, you can invigorate the tool with a few modernizations to ensure that it is more powerful than ever before. For example, a hammer is a wonderful tool that man has used for thousands of years, apply some modern technology and behold the nail gun—a more effective tool that increases productivity a hundredfold.

How would you modernize your press release? Let’s start with a tried and true, 100 year old principle; create a well written document that tells a story and contains news. Now apply technology to increase the effectiveness of the release. First, use key word optimization to expand the reach of your release. Second, enhance your Web site to allow for RSS feeds of your press releases, a technology that pushes news out to subscribers.      

Optimizing your press release with key words and phrases helps to increase its reach. Studies have shown that placing a keyword phrase at the beginning of a sentence or paragraph, and within headings and sub-headings, will contribute to improved search engine ranking. 

Adding keywords seems simple, pop in a word or two and you’re set. However, in order to use keywords and phrases effectively, it is very important that you carefully choose words and phrases that match how your customers and journalists look for information. Let me say this again; use the language that your customers use, if you want to increase the number of people that find your release. For example, if you are selling hand lotion, don’t be stuck on calling your product medicated dry skin lotion. Few people search for medicated lotion, but many people search for skin moisturizer and hand cream.

Now, let’s take a look at your company’s Web site and make sure it does the best job possible of making your company’s news available to those who are seeking information. First, make sure that the news page or press room is easily found on your corporate home page. The press room should contain your company’s press releases as well as all the backgrounder information a journalist needs to write a story on your company or product. In the press release section make sure to add the ability for people, journalists and watchers of your company to subscribe to an RSS feed for press releases, so that when a press release is posted, it will automatically find those interested in your company. If you have a corporate blog consider making this easily accessible from the press room and add the ability to RSS the blog.

Utilizing these two simple optimizations, the addition of key words to the press release, and an RSS feed of your news will allow you to use the Internet to reach more journalists and customers. The Internet has brought new life to the press release, allowing it to reach new audiences. This is not the time to kill the press release. Why? Because at the end of the day, a well written release delivers your company information to your target audience—same as it did 100 years ago.

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